There could be a chill in the air when the two most powerful men in the world meet in China’s capital for important talks that will include international trade, the U.S. war against Iran and the security of Taiwan.
The visit to China will be President Donald Trump’s second visit after a 2017 trip that included days of pomp and circumstance designed to impress and woo the then-new U.S. president.
During this second visit, a White House spokesperson said Trump “cares about results, not symbols.”
Gordon Chang, an Asian policy analyst and expert on Communist China, was asked by American Family News to share his views on this second Trump-Xi meeting. The first observation, he said, is Trump will arrive in China with a “big disadvantage” because of home turf.
“First of all, any time that any foreign leader goes to China, they're at a disadvantage,” Chang advised.
Another key topic, Iran, will be a delicate issue because Trump will likely ask for Xi’s help to end the war, Chang predicted. That request will be used as propaganda by Xi, he said.
“China will propagate this,” he said. “That's going to be a narrative that will resonate around the world.”
The Iran war is worth fighting, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Fox News this week.
"First of all, I'd go back and quote Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who, dealing with a very skeptical public in September of 1941, gave an address and said, look, if you're standing next to a rattlesnake, you don't have to let it bite you before you decide it's dangerous. And he, of course, was talking about Nazi Germany. "
"And that's what he's trying to do. This is an evil dictatorship. It is fully as evil as Adolf Hitler was or Joseph Stalin was. And we need to be honest about it. And frankly, I think this is a good debate. The country has to make a decision. Do you want to live in a fantasy land until the nuclear weapon goes off in your neighborhood? Or do you want to be realistic and honest and take the steps necessary to protect America?
Regarding the topic of Iran, national security expert Robert Maginnis told AFN he believes China is urging Iran’s leaders to continue to make trouble and cause problems for the Trump administration.
“They’re probably telling them that we'll sustain you, just continue to push back against the U.S.,” Maginnis said.
China is the largest importer of Iran’s crude oil, a vital business partnership for both countries, which has been halted or slowed by Operation Epic Fury and a U.S. Navy blockade.
China and Iran have close ties in business and national defense. Both nations signed a 25-year “comprehensive partnership” in 2021 that includes an agreement China will invest billions of dollars in Iran over that time period.
During the Pentagon’s military attack against Iran, China’s military generals were likely watching closely to see how China-made hardware and components stood up to U.S. attack planes and naval vessels.
Iran’s ship-sinking cruise missiles, air defense systems, and ballistic missile technology can be traced directly to China.
